This is going to be a dynamic form with many different and interesting things to read and I hope you will enjoy/follow/love/read it as passionately as you used to.

Latest and Greatest:

“At the most difficult moments of my life, when it seemed that every door was closed to me, the taste of those apricots comes back to comfort me with the notion that abundance is always within reach, if only one knows how to find it.”

This unusual place I discovered because of the love, soul connection and friendship I share with the owner, Simran Kaur (plus careful exploration of the chic Northern Goa sites too).As the two of us clicked on the first blink, so this refurbished Portuguese villa acted upon me when I first walked barefoot to silk (such a feeling!) tiles of her lobby. Quite recently, I had the opportunity to talk about what is new luxury in front of managers and employees of the world-renowned and universally used credit card brand. Sounds bizarre, but it is like that when Nives Borko, owner of Minutadvije, fix me a gig, and then i go and do it. The new luxury is when we have time, and are able to enjoy ourselves, when we feel and know how magical life is and naturally live in here and now. Many hoteliers have already applied everything that helps their customers to get back to the present moment through the senses that we, as human beings, are gifted with. Ambience, experience, feelings, smells, tastes, beauty, diversity, naturalness, simplicity and authenticity. There is no need for expensive, minimalist plates with a couple of drops of food, as well as being isolated in the resorts somewhere outside of the vivacious activities of the country you are visiting. The goal is to mingle with the vibrancy, the customs, to be inclusive not exclusive.

Simran designed her Casa and gave her the natural course of time to develop into what is today, without aggressive marketing, but with intuition and female flow that is more based on the creation than business plans.Everything is arranged in a way to experience Goa and taste colonial Portugal in a boutique hotel / private house / villa with a pool surrounded by a tropical garden and neighbors who chant in the evenings, burn fragrant incense sticks or play hits of old Bollywood. Mathieu is the host who (reminds of the Concierge from Wes Anderson's Hotel Budapest) will welcome you to Casa with staff line at the entrance, offer home made cold lemongrass tea from the garden, charm you with his French accented English and Hindi and elegant warmth. When there is no Mathieu there is Ana, equally charming hostese.

Casa da Graca is restored Portuguese villa where big Portuguese family once lived happily. Simran discovered it as a teenager partying in Goa. Going by, in tropic vegetation wrapped property, I felt called to look into what was hiding there. I came in and noticed a couple of piglets that ran out as soon as they saw me. In front of me was a beautiful, rather ruined original portugese villa. I fell in love at first sight and found out that about two hundred years ago it was Villa Morgado. Casimiro Honorato de Siqueira Nazare built it for his adorable wife Maria Gracia and their five children. Ten years later, after my father passed away, I inherited her - Villa Morgado. My father bought it for me shortly after returning from Goa. I will later rename it to Casa da Graca / House of Grace.

Simran is a dreamer as well as architect Alex who has restored this beauty. This dreamy moment is felt / seen in every detail. Everything is lightly mystical and fluffy so relaxation and enjoyment happens spontaneously. All the participants in the creation of this special house are individuals, creators and free souls who love life and are passionately devoted to it. Everyone has left their mark in creating the whole story plus they are open to collaborate with some new creative energies. So we (Tavan) got the chance to design a few projects / workshops for them (about that soon!), make a video with honor8 cell phone, enjoy this beautiful place creating, socializing - leisurely and naturally.

Official season begins mid-November and lasts until the end of April. Though, personally; the most romantic period to stay, especially if you are a writer, is in the monsoon time; from May to the end of October. Look on the river, intense green, tropical surrounding, fragrances and sound of the monsoon rain, background music in all the rooms you pass through, vintage colonial furniture with modern twist, super friendly, helpful and cheerful staff, seasonal, fresh, home-made remedies, food, will make You feel someone takes care of you and leaves you room and time to take care of yourself / your artistic expression and living at the most brilliant possible time. Now.